Ivan’s office hours in the final week: 4-6 pm (2h) on Monday (Apr 29) and 4-5 pm (1h) on Tuesday (Apr 30) in the Math Center (KAP 263).
Foreword
“I don’t want my students to admire and appreciate how perfect and knowledgeable I am every time they meet me. I want them to feel how promising and hopeful their own life and future can be every time they meet me. Because I’m the one who has made originally complicated math super easy for them to understand and not mysterious anymore; they know, no matter how knowledgeable I seem to be, I can and will easily impart my knowledge to them in an accessible, attractive, and friendly way, readily making them as knowledgeable as I am.”
— Ivan Zhanhu Feng, “Thoughts on What Good Math TAs Should Be Like”
Math 225: Linear Algebra and Differential Equations (11:00-11:50 am @ SOS B44; 39534 D)
— Prof. Christian Geske
Page Overview: I’ve provided all the information you might need about our discussions on this page, aiming to save you the time of asking questions I should have made clear to you. But that doesn’t mean you can’t ask me things that can be found on that page — you are still very welcome to ask me if there’s too much to go through here. In other words, putting all the information here is NOT for giving you another responsibility to get familiar with it, but for purely offering you help when you need it. In addition, here’s a trick you might like. Copy all words from this page into ChatGPT (OpenAI’s conversational AI model designed for human-like text interactions), and then pose your question. The AI system will use the information I’ve provided on this page to answer.
Discussion Zoom Link: https://usc.zoom.us/j/9016252359?pwd=TWdTSTFVRXR2U0dhazJSbTJtUElnQT09
Meeting ID: 901 625 2359 Passcode: ilovemath
Discussion Notes*: I’ll upload the handout solutions to this Google Drive folder by 1:00 pm on every Tuesday and Thursday after our discussion sessions. I’ll post the notes in the Blackboard “Discussion Handouts” section too.
Please note that our Blackboard course shell covers the two Math 225 sections (9 am & 11 am) taught by Professor Geske. Officially, Zejing and I, the TAs, alternate in writing the discussion handout solutions: I am responsible for all of Tuesday’s solutions, while Zejing handles those for Thursday. However, I will be writing all the solutions, including those for Tuesday and Thursday, and will continue updating them in the above-mentioned folder.
*Copyright claim: all handout problems there are prepared by Professor Geske, and all solutions and notes there are written by me.
Past Discussion Notes*: I TA’ed Math 225 two years ago, and you can also find all my discussion notes here. Please note that during that semester, I was primarily responsible for the ‘Differential Equations’ section of the course, so most of my notes pertain to Differential Equations.
*Copyright claim: all lab problems there were prepared by Professor Tokorcheck, and all solutions/hints and notes there were written by me.
Discussion Plan:
I’d like to tell you which exercises I plan to discuss on the board the day before each discussion (e.g., Monday and Wednesday nights). In this way, you can have a bit more control over the discussion in your preview (if you want) and maybe focus more on the other problems. Here’s the link to our corresponding Google sheets. For your convenience, I’ve also embedded the sheet below. While the embedded version is view-only, you can make edits using the provided link.
Please let me know any other problems you want me to cover in the second to last column of the sheet. And if you have anything to include, please do that before 8:30 am on the discussion day, so I can have time to prepare in advance in order to avoid any mistakes I might make and find the best way to teach them.
How to Address Me: Ivan. There’s no need to call me “Mr. Feng” or “Professor Feng.” Of course, I’d never correct how you address me, as I respect your right to call me whatever you want, but, as a personal preference, “Ivan” is what I’d prefer to hear from anyone.
Email Responding: Whenever you have any math questions or comments, email me anytime at ifeng@usc.edu. This semester (Jan 10~May 10, 2024*), every day from 8:30 to 9:00 pm (including weekends), I make sure to sit in front of my computer to reply to all emails regarding this course. If you send me an email during this time, you can expect me to see it immediately and respond very soon. If you email me before 8:30 pm, say at 10 am that day, I might not check my mailbox right away, but I’ll definitely see it by 8:30 pm at the latest; again, you can expect a response from me during the 8:30-9:00 pm time period (but it can be much sooner).
*It’s probably not including the spring break week because of travel plans. But if you email me during the break, I’ll also respond as soon as I see your email (by the end of the following day at the latest).
Discussion Session Modality: In each session, we’ll focus on problems listed in our Google plan sheet above, including those chosen from the handouts and those submitted by you (to ensure democracy).
Tuesday (when there’s a quiz): For the first 20 minutes (±5), I’ll guide us through these problems on the board/screen. Then, the time before the quiz is yours to either discuss handout problems with your peers and me or review for the quiz. If the quiz time (as indicated by Professor Geske on the quiz) is 15 minutes, I’ll start distributing the quiz with about 20 minutes remaining. If the quiz time is 20 minutes, distribution will begin with about 25 minutes remaining. After completing and submitting your quiz, you’re free to leave.
Thursday (when there’s no quiz): For the first 40 minutes (±5), I’ll guide us through these problems on the board/screen. After discussing each one, you’ll have a few minutes to delve deeper into the material, either individually or with your peers, making good use of our collaborative tables and chairs. As we wrap up, the last 10 minutes (±5) are yours to engage in open discussions on homework or any other problems with your classmates and me, much like during office hours. This time is optional, so feel free to stay and explore the problems further or head out if you’re all set. But I’ll definitely stay in the classroom throughout.
Asking Questions: In our discussions, no silly question exists, meaning I genuinely won’t consider any question to be silly. Remember, Isaac Newton asked himself a super silly and childish question in the summer of 1666: Why would an apple fall down instead of falling upwards or sideways? But that childish question finally led him to the discovery of universal gravitation. Thus, you are always welcome to ask everything in your mind, no matter whether the answer can be found on the board or in previous lecture notes. And I’d be very happy to answer anything you ask.
Of course, if you prefer not asking questions in public, you’re welcome to speak with me privately after our discussions or during my office hours. Or if you prefer to work independently and rely on yourself, it’s also great. There’s no single way to find answers to your questions. But, I’m asking you to preserve your curiosity well and never let it go.
Inclusive Expression: Feel free to ask questions and make comments directly, or raise your hand if that’s more comfortable for you – both ways are perfectly respected. Your insights and comments are highly valued. Expressing yourself openly contributes to a diverse and dynamic learning environment, enriching the experience for all.
Syllabus Quiz Rule and Make-Ups*: There are weekly in-person quizzes on Tuesdays in discussion section. Quizzes will be 15–20 minutes each. They will cover the same topics that are covered on the homework of the same number. You will not be allowed to use: books, notes, phones, computers, tablets, or calculators.
Your lowest 2 quiz scores will be dropped. This is to account for any reason you may miss a quiz. Beyond the retakes discussed below, there are no other opportunities to make up quizzes. If you anticipate that you will miss a quiz before it occurs, it will typically be possible to take the quiz a day or so early if you email your teaching assistant, but it will not be possible to take the quiz after it occurs.
In the discussion section after each midterm, you will be allowed to retake a single (modified) quiz among the group of quizzes whose content is covered on that midterm.
*This item is copied from Professor Geske’s syllabus.
Quiz Grading: The other TA, Zejing, and I alternate in grading quizzes for all students in both lecture sections (9 am and 11 am). I am responsible for the odd-numbered quizzes (Quiz 1, 3, …) while Zejing grades the even-numbered ones. On my turns, I always finish grading and publish scores on both Gradescope and Blackboard by Saturday night. In case I made a blunder in grading, please don’t hesitate to submit a regrading request in Gradescope (or directly email me) so I can fix your scores.
Discussion Attendance: Attendance for discussion sections is not mandatory; in other words, it’s not directly related to your grade in the grading scheme. So you don’t need to notify Prof. Geske or me if you choose not to attend. However, I really encourage you to attend, because, without you, our discussion is not complete.
Discussion Times and Location:
10:00—10:50 am on Tue, Thu (39535 R)
11:00—11:50 am on Tue, Thu (39536 R)
Both in DMC 151
Ivan’s Office Hours*:
4-5 pm on Tuesday
3-4 pm on Wednesday
3-4 pm on Friday
*You are always welcome to attend my office hours. This is my designated time to assist students, so please don’t feel hesitant—it’s what I’m here for. I’ll be waiting for you in the math center. If my hours don’t fit your schedule, feel free to schedule an appointment with me outside of my regular office hours. We can either do it in the Math Center physically or in my personal zoom room online. Send me an email so we can set up a time, and then I’ll send you my zoom link. You can find my weekly schedule here to check my availability.
Office-Hour locations:
Math Center [KAP 263] and Zoom*
*If you want to join my office hours by Zoom, click here. The Math Center Assistant on duty will assign you to my breakout room.
Note I: As a rule of the Math Center, TAs are there for *all* students (not just their own students) when holding office hours. So you can go there anytime to do homework or get help from any TAs. And I will surely be there at least during my office hours. You can check out here the Math Center Schedules including all TAs’ office hours this semester.
Note II: The Math Center is run on a drop-in basis without appointments. Thus, if many students show up during my office hours, I’ll try to let you ask one question at a time in order of arrival (unless you have to leave soon) and then continue the cycle, to ensure everyone there has a chance to discuss questions with me instead of waiting for nothing. Feel free to give me any feedback!
Textbook: Differential Equations and Linear Algebra 4th Edition by Goode and Annin (Click here for the Amazon purchase link; the PDF version can be found in both Discussion Notes Folders above). Based on the syllabus, the primary use of the textbook is as a source of homework problems.
Previously Taught:
Ivan’s Medium Articles on Math Teaching
Afterword
“I know you want someone like me to hold your hand through your academic journey, to make what you’re learning approachable and help you gain confidence and hope in this course. It’s not about responsibility, but about love and expression: a selfless love from one heart to another, and an artistic expression that contributes happiness and wisdom to the rest of humanity.”
— Ivan Zhanhu Feng, “In Conversation with You: Nurturing Academic Success”
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